a) India Blue is essentially the regular XI, with Powar missing out so he can get a guaranteed role elsewhere.
b) India Red is essentially the India A side, with Uthappa, Gambhir, Sharma, Rao, Badrinath, Karthik and VRV having played in that team recently.
c) India Green is essentially a makeshift side of all the other guys that need an opportunity but have fallen out (Ganguly, Laxman, Nehra, Balaji).
d) Since most of the actual India A bowlers aren't good enough to make the Challenger Trophy (Paul, Trivedi, etc), India Red also has two quality seamers in Zaheer and Sreesanth and perhaps the strong bowling attack has been put there to offset the inexperienced top order.
e) Raina and Kaif have been placed in India Green so that a) they get more playing time and get to play a leading role and b) they get an off day after the UP-Sialkot match, which also explains why Chawla and Kumar are found in India Green.

a) India Blue is essentially the regular XI, with Powar missing out so he can get a guaranteed role elsewhere.
b) India Red is essentially the India A side, with Uthappa, Gambhir, Sharma, Rao, Badrinath, Karthik and VRV having played in that team recently.
c) India Green is essentially a makeshift side of all the other guys that need an opportunity but have fallen out (Ganguly, Laxman, Nehra, Balaji).
d) Since most of the actual India A bowlers aren't good enough to make the Challenger Trophy (Paul, Trivedi, etc), India Red also has two quality seamers in Zaheer and Sreesanth and perhaps the strong bowling attack has been put there to offset the inexperienced top order.
e) Raina and Kaif have been placed in India Green so that a) they get more playing time and get to play a leading role and b) they get an off day after the UP-Sialkot match, which also explains why Chawla and Kumar are found in India Green.

By and large what adharcric is saying is correct.

To put it differently.

India Blue is the regular Indian side made to play together so as to maintain continuity.

India Green is India A team (by and large)

India Red is left overs.

The exception to the above are

1. Since all players are needed to get games, only 12 are kept in Blues and Greens and sent to Reds.
2. Some tinkering is done to get better balance.
3. Captains are nominated (as for Kaif in this case) to see those with captaincy potential in action at leadership.

This Neo Nonsense is a bigger scam than these cable-op wrangles with sattelite channels. I thought I was one of only a few in Mumbai not getting it, but it seems nobody in India was getting the channel, not even Niranjan Shah, the BCCI Secretary.

Nimbus chief Harish Thawani said that their channel has been operational, but it's up to the cable operators to decide. Had all cable-ops in India gone on holiday? Or are they deliberately holding it back? For what? Why deny fans of domestic cricket their action? Worse, none of the news channels showed any footage. This surely is murky.

"Talent is nothing without opportunity"
"You're not remembered for aiming at the target, but hitting it"

a) India Blue is essentially the regular XI, with Powar missing out so he can get a guaranteed role elsewhere.
b) India Red is essentially the India A side, with Uthappa, Gambhir, Sharma, Rao, Badrinath, Karthik and VRV having played in that team recently.
c) India Green is essentially a makeshift side of all the other guys that need an opportunity but have fallen out (Ganguly, Laxman, Nehra, Balaji).
d) Since most of the actual India A bowlers aren't good enough to make the Challenger Trophy (Paul, Trivedi, etc), India Red also has two quality seamers in Zaheer and Sreesanth and perhaps the strong bowling attack has been put there to offset the inexperienced top order.
e) Raina and Kaif have been placed in India Green so that a) they get more playing time and get to play a leading role and b) they get an off day after the UP-Sialkot match, which also explains why Chawla and Kumar are found in India Green.

Maybe Greens have stronger batting, whil Reds have stronger bowling. Actually, India A (here Red) is supposed to be the actual India A team which travels abroad or faces visiting A teams. The India B team is made of newcomers or domestic performers who haven't got a chance. The India discards are distributed across all three teams.

Dinesh Mongia? I hope not. This all-rounder prospect was an all-round liability here. His bowling was dreadful, and it was surprising that he got five overs while rookie Ravi got only three. His batting was as bad as it was in the last ODI he played, hogging the strike and turning it over at inopportune times. The Blues should give Delhi stalwart Mithun Manhas a game here. Agree about RP Singh being the fifth bowler.

Agree about the choice of lineup for Greens. It will be good to see Pravin Kumar smashing the Blues bowling all around Chennai, so that they're prepared for more of it in the Champions Trophy. Chawla against Tendulkar will again be worth a watch, as also his batting. Fielding, though, is an issue.

For those who saw the match yesterday, what are your comments on the fielding in the whole match? Particularly of Munaf, Zaheer and VRV? That will be crucial. Zaheer's experience will definitely come useful if he makes the team, and he's a more potent bowler than little Agarkar, whose Russian Roulette-ish bowling weakened the Blues. Strangely, the mediapersons didn't talk of that, but slammed Irfan for bowling slow, short and wide, despite getting three wickets. Zaheer has often been weak on the field, which matters in ODI's, when the bowling attack is not special. Irfan, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Balaji (albeit only in movement) and also Nehra (albeit only in throws) are effective on the field.

For those who saw the match yesterday, what are your comments on the fielding in the whole match? Particularly of Munaf, Zaheer and VRV? That will be crucial. Zaheer's experience will definitely come useful if he makes the team, and he's a more potent bowler than little Agarkar, whose Russian Roulette-ish bowling weakened the Blues. Strangely, the mediapersons didn't talk of that, but slammed Irfan for bowling slow, short and wide, despite getting three wickets. Zaheer has often been weak on the field, which matters in ODI's, when the bowling attack is not special. Irfan, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Balaji (albeit only in movement) and also Nehra (albeit only in throws) are effective on the field.

Munaf and Zaheer looked sharp in the field. VRV dropped an absolute sitter after Sehwag skied one. Let's see how they do in the remaining matches.

Damn, they sure did prove me wrong. Good close game though...wouldve loved to watch it...adharcric..do you have msn or aim? If you have msn then add me, my id is in my sig...if u have aim let me know what ur id is.